His Holiness saddened by earthquake in Taiwan 

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, Feb 8: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed his sadness at the loss of life and magnitude of destruction caused by the devastating earthquakes in Taiwan.

In his missive to the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, he wrote: “I understand that every effort is being made to rescue the injured and provide relief to those affected by this tragedy.”

“I understand that every effort is being made to rescue the injured and provide relief to those affected by this tragedy,” the Dalai Lama added.

The missives concluded with His Holiness offering his condolences to the President of Taiwan and to the families who have lost loved ones.

The strong earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude struck the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan was about 10.30pm local time on Tuesday that killed nine people and injured 265.

While many people are still reported missing in the rubble, series of aftershocks including a 5.7 quake late on Wednesday and smaller tremors reported earlier today are hampering rescue efforts, media reports said.

Taiwan sits on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ frequented by earthquakes and volcanic activities. A magnitude 7.6 quake in Taiwan killed more than 2,300 people and left 100,000 homeless earlier in 1999.